ILOILO City – A nationwide “no bakuna, no labas” restriction on the movement of unvaccinated individuals is being proposed as the country battles another surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. Mayor Jerry Treñas is supportive of this policy.
As early as December 2021, the city mayor was already proposing to bar those unvaccinated against COVID-19 from entering malls, places of worship, movie houses, restaurants, and government offices, among others.
“Bal-an mo ang mga unvaccinated amo gid ‘ni sila ‘ya ang delikado nga iguon. Ang vaccinated nga iguon, mild lang ang infection. Ining mga unvaccinated, on the other hand, severe most of the time kag kinahanglan madala sa ospital,” he explained.
Beginning Jan. 17, the city government will bar its employees and clients that have not received booster shots against COVID-19 from entering city hall.
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region 6 director Jonie Dabuco declined from commenting at this time. He said he would wait for the issuances from their central office.
Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion earlier said a nationwide restriction on the movement of unvaccinated individuals would encourage more people to get vaccinated. It will also pave the way for the safe reopening of the economy, he added.
In Metro Manila, mayors agreed to limit the mobility of the unvaccinated by restricting them in houses except when obtaining essential goods and services.
Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 15.
ROXAS CITY GETS TOUGH
While Iloilo City is still mulling imposing the tougher measure, Roxas City is already going all-out with it. The policy is stipulated in Executive Order No. 1-2022 of Roxas City’s Mayor Ronnie Dadivas.
Persons below 15 years old and over 65 years of age, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity or other health risks, and pregnant women are strongly encouraged to remain in their houses except when obtaining essential goods and services, medical care, COVID-19 vaccination or for work in industries and offices.
All private commercial establishments are also strongly encouraged to implement a “no vaccine no entry policy.”
All workers and employees of business establishments shall wear their vaccination cards at all times while rendering service to the public, while business establishments shall likewise submit to the Business Licensing and Processing Permits Office the list of all vaccinated and unvaccinated employees together with the photocopy of their vaccination cards/certificates.
Also in Roxas City, agencies and instrumentalities of the government can go on full operation and shall adhere to at least an 80 percent on-site works.
Curfew hours in the city start from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. while liquor ban is from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. in commercial establishments.
Fiesta celebrations are canceled while swimming in public beaches is prohibited.
Moreover, allowed gatherings include those that are essential for the provision of health services during vaccinations, government services, humanitarian activities authorized by the appropriate government agency or instrumentality.
Religious gatherings are allowed up to 50 percent of the venue capacity.
Also allowed are wakes, inurnments, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19. However, visitors should not more than ten individuals per group at a time, regardless of venue capacity and wake shall be limited for a maximum of ten days.
Conglomerations of people in public places such as plazas, parks, tourism sites, beaches, Roxas City People’s Park, barangay centers and the like are strongly discouraged.
On the other hand, establishments allowed to operate at maximum of 50 percent indoor capacity and 70 percent outdoor venue capacity are venues for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE); permitted venues for socials events libraries, archives, museums, galleries, exhibits, parks, plaza, public gardens, scenic viewpoints or overlooks, and the like; amusement parks or theme parks; recreational venues; cinemas and movie houses; limited face-to-face or in-person classes for basic education, among others./PN
